Speaking & Thought Leadership

Most AI speakers fall into two camps: researchers presenting theory that doesn’t translate to production, or evangelists selling you their company’s platform. I’m neither.

I build production AI systems. The Kusog AI Agent platform processes 100K+ monthly operations across multiple verticals. When I talk about multi-tenant architecture, conversational AI patterns, or GPU infrastructure—I’m describing what I built, not what I read about.

That difference shapes every talk. Real examples. Honest tradeoffs. Patterns that actually work when users show up.

Signature Keynotes

Building Complete AI Platforms: Infrastructure to UX

The full journey from GPU metal to user conversation. Most AI talks focus on one layer—the model, the prompt, the interface. This talk covers the complete architecture required for production AI systems.

Key themes:

• Why point solutions fail and platforms succeed
• Infrastructure decisions that determine everything downstream
• The hidden operational layer that makes or breaks AI applications
• Multi-tenant architecture for serving multiple customers or use cases
• Where the industry is headed and how to position for it

Audience: Technical leadership, architects, developers building AI capabilities

Takeaways: A mental model for complete AI systems, specific architectural patterns to apply, awareness of failure modes to avoid

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Why Enterprise AI Projects Fail (and How to Succeed)

85% of AI projects never make it to production. This isn’t a technology problem—it’s an execution problem. After 34 years building enterprise systems and the last two years focused on production AI, the failure patterns are clear.

Key themes:

• The POC-to-production chasm and why it’s wider than expected
• Cost models that work in demos but explode at scale
• Organizational patterns that doom projects before they start
• The “it works on my laptop” gap in AI systems
• What successful production AI actually looks like

Audience: Executive leadership, project sponsors, technical decision-makers

Takeaways: Framework for evaluating AI project readiness, warning signs to watch for, specific practices that improve success rates

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Multi-Tenant AI Architecture at Scale

For organizations serving multiple customers, business units, or use cases from shared AI infrastructure. The architectural patterns that enable isolation, customization, and efficiency.

Key themes:

• Tenant isolation strategies for data, models, and configuration
• SLA-based prioritization without starving lower-tier users
• Per-tenant customization at the prompt, workflow, and feature level
• Usage tracking and billing for AI consumption
• Scaling patterns for growing tenant counts

Audience: Architects and developers building multi-tenant AI applications, SaaS companies adding AI capabilities

Takeaways: Specific patterns for tenant isolation, queue architecture for prioritization, economic models for AI usage

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From Proof-of-Concept to Production: Real Patterns

The practical guide to crossing the production gap. Not theory—actual patterns from systems serving real users.

Key themes:

• Streaming architecture for real-time AI responses
• Queue-based workload management for GPU constraints
• Multi-provider strategies to avoid lock-in and optimize cost
• Error handling for non-deterministic systems
• Observability that actually helps you debug AI problems

Audience: Development teams actively building AI applications, technical leads making architecture decisions

Takeaways: Implementation patterns with enough detail to apply immediately, architecture diagrams, technology recommendations

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The Hidden Complexity of Production AI Systems

What the tutorials don’t tell you. The operational realities that turn promising projects into production nightmares—and how to avoid them.

Key themes:

• Cost management: why your AI budget will explode and how to control it
• The testing problem: how do you test non-deterministic systems?
• Context window management: conversation state at scale
• Model versioning: what happens when providers update models?
• The human factor: user expectations vs. AI reality

Audience: Technical teams with AI experience who’ve hit production challenges, architects evaluating AI adoption

Takeaways: Specific strategies for each hidden complexity, realistic expectations, operational patterns that work

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Four Patterns of AI Success

Stop forcing users into one interaction model. Different tasks, different users, and different contexts require different AI experiences. This talk introduces four distinct conversational patterns and when to use each.

Key themes:

• Topic Starters: eliminating the blank-page problem
• Guided Workflows: dual-channel form + AI assistance
• Builder Conversations: pure conversational creation
• Tool-Driven Interviews: natural language to system functions
• How these patterns triple completion rates compared to single-mode interfaces

Audience: Product managers, UX designers, developers building AI interfaces

Takeaways: Framework for choosing interaction patterns, implementation approaches for each, metrics for measuring success

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Building AI That Takes Initiative

The paradigm shift from passive AI tools to active AI collaborators. What happens when AI stops waiting for commands and starts conversations?

Key themes:

• From reactive to proactive: AI that anticipates user needs
• Personality-based architecture: why single-personality AI fails at scale
• Memory and context: enabling AI that remembers and reasons
• Guardrails for initiative: keeping proactive AI safe and useful
• The user experience transformation when AI becomes a collaborator

Audience: Product leaders, AI strategists, developers exploring next-generation AI interfaces

Takeaways: Design patterns for proactive AI, architectural requirements, examples from production systems

Speaking Formats

Conference Keynote

45-60 minutes

High-energy presentation for large audiences. These talks are designed to open or anchor a conference—challenging assumptions, providing strategic perspective, and sending attendees away with new mental models.

Includes: Custom tailoring for your conference theme, audience-appropriate technical level, engaging delivery with real examples.

Technical Talk

30-45 minutes

Focused presentation for developer and architect audiences. More depth, more specifics, more code. These sessions work well in technical tracks where the audience wants implementation details.

Includes: Architecture diagrams, code examples, specific technology recommendations, references for follow-up learning.

Executive Briefing

30-60 minutes

Private session for leadership teams evaluating AI strategy. Less code, more business implications. Decision frameworks, risk awareness, and honest assessment of what AI can and can’t do.

Includes: Pre-session discussion to understand your specific situation, tailored content addressing your actual decisions, time for Q&A and discussion.

Workshop Session

Half-day or full-day

Hands-on session combining presentation with exercises. Participants work through problems, build things, and leave with skills—not just notes.

Includes: Exercises tailored to your technology stack, code templates and starting points, follow-up resources and optional office hours.

What Event Organizers Say

“Finally, a speaker who’s actually built what he’s talking about.” — The difference between theory and production experience is obvious from the first five minutes.

“Our developers were engaged the entire time.” — Technical audiences appreciate technical depth. No fluff, no filler.

“The talk generated more hallway conversations than anything else at the conference.” — Good talks create discussion. They give people something to argue about, build on, and apply.

Logistics

Travel: Based in Las Vegas. Available globally. Travel costs billed separately for in-person events.

Virtual: Fully equipped for remote delivery. Professional audio/video, reliable connection, engaging virtual presence.

Lead Time: Prefer 4-6 weeks minimum for custom preparation. Shorter timelines possible for signature talks.

Recording/Streaming: Generally permitted with standard attribution. Discuss specifics based on your needs.

Materials: Slides provided post-event. Code examples and references as appropriate to the talk.

Custom Presentations

Have a specific topic in mind? I develop custom presentations for organizations with particular needs:

• Industry-specific applications — AI for healthcare, legal, financial services, manufacturing
• Technology-specific deep dives — .NET AI patterns, Python ML pipelines, Kubernetes for AI
• Strategic topics — AI build vs. buy, vendor evaluation, AI team structure
• Internal presentations — All-hands AI updates, board briefings, investor meetings

Custom presentations require more lead time for research and development. Pricing reflects the additional preparation.

Let’s Talk

If you’re organizing a conference, corporate event, or executive session and want a speaker who brings production experience to AI topics, let’s discuss your event:

• What’s the audience and their technical level?
• What themes or topics are you emphasizing?
• What format and duration works for your event?
• What would make this session a success for your attendees?

I’ll let you know if there’s a good fit and provide a proposal with topic options and pricing.

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For more on my background and perspective, visit mattdenman.com